BY OKEY NDIRIBE
Negotiation between the labour movement and the Federal Government over the implementation of the new minimum wage was inconclusive yesterday and was adjourned till next Tuesday but there were indications that the issue may eventually be resolved amicably.

The Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Owei Lakemfa told news men yesterday in Abuja that the Federal Government had already agreed to pay the new minimum wage  to all categories of public servants. He however added that further negotiations were required to agree on modalities for implementation of the agreement.

MINIMUM WAGE TALKS: From left, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku; Minister of labour and National Productivity, Emeka Wogu; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim; NLC Acting Secretary General, Owei Lakemfa; Secretary General TUC, John Kolawole; Head of Service of the Federation, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi and Richard Ebule of National Income Wages and Salary Commission during the FG-Labour meeting on minimum wage held in Abuja weekend.

He said this while responding to reporters’ questions at the end of the second day of meeting between the labour delegation and that of the Federal Government.

The renewed  negotiations  which lasted about five hours yesterday,  began last Saturday and was  adjourned till today.

The negotiations had began at about 5pm and continued until about 21.45 pm last night.  The adjournment of the negotiation was announced by the Minister of Labour Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu .

The negotiations had resumed after the  leaders  of Nigeria’s two umbrella labour unions threatened that the labour movement would embark on a nation-wide strike without further notice if  the Federal Government continued to maintain its stand that it would pay the new minimum wage to workers only on grade levels 1-6.

Earlier in the week, talks between the Federal Government delegation and the labour movement had collapsed after  several meetings over the disputed minimum wage ended in a deadlock.

The negotiations which collapsed last  Thursday was the culmination of several meetings  between both sides in line with the agreement  they signed after the labour movement suspended its proposed strike on July 19.

The agreement was signed after the Federal Government and Governors Forum had agreed to pay the new minimum wage across board. The agreement also indicated that both sides would engage in further negotiations to work out modalities for the implementation of the new minimum wage for all categories of workers.

At the resumed negotiations on Saturday, the meeting took a dramatic turn as the labour delegation walked out of the  Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and never returned.

Addressing the press later, the Minister of information Labaran Maku said that the Federal Government  had  engaged in a wholesale wage review for public servants last year adding that the wage increase amounted to a 54.46 percent salary increase  for public servants.

According to him: “Last year’s wage review increased the Federal Government’s wage bill from N973 billion to N1.5 trillion which represented an increase of about N500 billion.

He further explained that the Federal Government had already agreed to implement the new minimum wage for workers on levels 1-3 in the public service.

He  said  that the only area of disagreement was that the  labour movement wanted a wage review that would apply across the board to all public servants.

The  Federal Government delegation was led by the SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Labour, Chief Wogu, Minister of  Information Hon. Labaran Maku and the Director-General of National Salaries and Wages Commission Mr Richard Egbule.

Labour’s  delegation was led by the Deputy President of NLC, Comrade Mohammed Kiri, the Acting General Secretary of NLC, Owei Lakemfa , TUC General Secretary Comrade John Kolawole and the NLC Head of Information, Comrade Chris Uyot.